Ľudovít Štúr (1815‒56) was a Slovak politician, philosopher, historian, linguist, writer, poet, journalist, editor, and pedagogue. He was the most important representative of Slovak national life in the first half of the 19th century and one of the leading members of Slovak National Uprising of 1848‒49. Štúr was also the key figure in codifying the modern Slovak language. Presented here is the earliest oil portrait of Štúr by the artist Jozef Božetech Klemens (1817‒83), based on an 1861 lithograph of Štúr by the Czech artist, actor, and director František Kolář (1829‒95). Klemens was an important painter, sculptor, engineer, and scientist of the 19th century and, like Štúr, a major figure in the Slovak national revival. His artistic significance rests primarily on his portrait paintings. In Slovakia, 2015 was declared “The Year of Ľudovít Štúr” to mark the 200th anniversary of his birth.